Correlation of serum albumin with ischemia modified albumin in acute stroke patients with or without diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: Stroke is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is most commonly associated with the acute stroke. Abnormalities in serum albumin are known to occur in acute stroke patients. Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a novel marker of acute stroke and hence, it is important to know the factors affecting IMA estimation. The objective of this study was to find out the correlation between serum albumin and IMA in acute stroke with or without DM. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised sixty acute stroke patients (thirty with DM, thirty without DM) and thirty healthy controls. The blood sample was collected from the patients soon after the clinical diagnosis of stroke. IMA and albumin were measured. IMA concentration was expressed in absorbance units. Pearson's correlation coefficient was estimated. Results: In stroke with DM (r = ­0.103, P = 0.58) and control (r = ­0.007, P = 0.96) groups, there was a negative correlation between IMA and serum albumin which was statistically not significant. In stroke without DM group, there was a positive correlation between IMA and serum albumin which was again statistically insignificant (r = 0.111, P = 0.56). Discussion and Conclusion: There was no statistically significant correlation between IMA and serum albumin levels in all the three groups. Hence, it can be concluded that IMA concentration is independent of serum albumin concentration and probably, it depends on the severity and duration of ischemia or oxidative stress in acute stroke patients.